Snowed In

I feel like a school girl giddy with delight...

I absolutely love being snowed in with my family.

French toast and hot chocolate for breakfast.  No where to go.  Christmas trees to decorate.  A lazy day in pajamas.  Stromboli and homemade/ homegrown caramel popcorn.  An epic Wii battle.

And, only my kids would be insistent to play outside during a blizzard.  Donning snowmobile helmets and gear, they spent hours outside playing in the snow.  They would come in for a couple of minutes to warm up their hands and then they were off out into a winter storm again. 

Can life get any better?


Our popcorn cross pollinated with our decorative/ Indian corn but even the purple kernels still pop!

The boys insisted dressing up the animals in holiday gear.  Boomer was a reindeer...

Rex wasn't havin' it...

But Miss Kitty would put up with a little dress-up time.

Granted, a couple years ago I would have been in tears being snowed in with two fighting boys and an antsy husband.

But, today is great.

Last week was rough.  Aaron has been having laser treatments on his leg (his 'bad' leg- I hate to say it like that--- but the leg he does not have much feeling in) and they went.... alright.  The stomach flu has been going through our house... so we had been puking and rallying for several days.  And then to top it all off, we discovered that the boys had lice.  Yes, head lice.  Awesome. 

So, I was a little.... worked up.... shall we say.  Yes, we will not say crazy.... we will say worked up.

But, today is better.  Today we are snowed in.  Puking is complete.  Head lice is done.  And only four more laser treatments for Aaron. 

And the holiday season is upon us.  It's my favorite time of year.  I know I say that about every season... but Christmas time is my favorite. 

And We Hiked

As I sit here typing feverishly on the computer... smelling the coffee brewing in the kitchen... listening to the pitter patter of rain on our roof... I can't help but smile.  When was the last time it rained?  Sometime in August?  I love the rain.

Last weekend Aaron had a race.  It seems to be a recurrent theme.  He ran an 8k and his brothers ran a 5k.  They all did awesome!  We returned home after a 3 hour car ride, dumped our bags in the kitchen from our overnight stay at Ryan's... and then we ran to the blonde bloggers house for an impromptu bonfire.  It was a beautiful weekend.

Sunday, we hiked.

And hiked.

Until we reached the top.

It was beautiful.  And quiet.  And wonderful--- to just be with my boys.

Just a Few Things I Love

There is a lot about 2011 that I love.  Of course on the top of that list is family, close friends, and God.  Only He can turn a 'mess into a message, a test into a testimony, and a trial into a triumph.'  And that is how the first 6 months of 2011 went for us--- and are still going..... life isn't meant to be easy.

And I am developing a love/ hate relationship with a new book I am reading:  My So Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife.  But, that is a completely different post.
So, on with the last post of the year...

A few things that I loved about 2011~~~


1.  The Tooth Fairy returning to our home.  Now, it is little brother's turn.

This is what "Open your mouth a little so I can take a picture of your first lost tooth" looks like.

2.  A bathroom project two years in the making has finally begun.  Phase #1 to the eventual addition onto our home.

Good bye old green splotchy walls...  Hello beautiful tile!

3.  Hand made quilts on our beds.

4.  Big brother working to qualify for state with piano.

2012 will bring in a lot of new firsts for Noah--- he will be able to go hunting with mom and dad in the fall!

5.  Learning that boys will be boys and sometimes you just have to let them beat the crap out of each other--- and then intervene.

6.  The daily "I love yous" from my boys and my hubby.  They make my day a little brighter. 

7.  Shelves lined with our fall's bounty.  And the appreciation from our children for the homemade meals that grace our table every day.

8.  Actually learning how to use my camera~~~ and shooting only in manual. 

9.  Small classroom size.  Teachers who love to teach. 

10.  Good healthy, happy boys.  What more can a momma ask for?  (And actually I even have been sticking to an exercise program.  What doesn't kill us makes us stronger!)

I am not a big New Year's resolution fan, but, I do have a few simple goals for 2012.  I am going to try to be more patient... not sweat the small things... try to be a better mother and wife... try to maybe be a little more active in church... ummm... well I could go on and on.

It was a great 2011--- and I am looking forward to what 2012 brings!

Oh Christmas Tree

On a blustery day, after the day after Thanksgiving, my children were driving me crazy with Christmas tree talk. 

For days they have been asking to put the Christmas tree up.  Well...really... it started last summer when they were complaining about how they missed snow!  But I forced them to focus on Thanksgiving before we busted out the tree.

And then they whined and cried after the brief snowfall that graced our home last week melted.  But I assured them, as surely as death and taxes, the snow would return.  And it did.  With avenging winds and sub freezing temps. 

I wanted to try something different this year, a real Christmas tree.  I had hopes of us all bundling up and going to our local Christmas tree farm.... picking out the most perfectly shaped tree, cutting it down, snapping some memorable photos, and hauling it into our dining room.  But I was painfully shot down by Aaron who brought me back to planet earth. 

The reality is that our cozy home contains too many boys, too many dogs, and a crazy cat.  We have a hard enough time keeping our artificial tree intact.  Maybe someday we will have a real tree.

So, we dragged our boxed up tree out of storage and then it started. 

To be truthful, we actually have three trees.  Two little ones- one for each of the boys- and then a big one.  All of which are prelit.  None of which the lights worked. 

Aaron spent hours cutting off the strands of lights (that were zip tied onto every branch of every tree.)  And then begged me, "Please, please, please do not buy any more prelit trees."  I can't argue with that. 

After what was suppose to be a 'quick Christmas decorating morning' (turned to Christmas decorating several days) the trees are up and decorated.  And the boys are ecstatic, which is really all that matters.  They each decorated their own trees, the way they wanted them decorating- it's so hard to give up control!

Even the crazy cat did her part.

We have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season.  Too much to count. 

So, thank you to everyone who has helped us out in the past year.  We appreciate every one's kindness!

Oh the Craziness

As if life has not been busy enough... why must us wives always add more to the craziness?

Like taking group family photo with too-busy-to-pay-attention-children?  And I know that the natural impromptu photos are the best... but come on... just one where everyone is looking at the camera and smiling... is that too much to ask?

One out of 6,524,671 photos attempted by the blonde and brunette.

Taking up crazy hobbies with my good friends including blogging, gardening, photography, and what else can we add to the mix?



Or throwing in Tupperware parties into the blend of Thirty-One parties, Pampered Chef parties, Stella and Dot parties and so on.  Why must we torture ourselves trying to be over-achievers?

And sometimes when my kids are insanely bouncing off of the walls and I sit silently in the middle of a tornado... I ponder if they are the crazy ones or am I?

But what would life be like without all of the insanity?  How quiet would our lives be?  If their feet went pitter-patter instead of sounding like a herd of elephants--- would life not be the same? 

I dread the day when my boys grow up and do not drive cars around the house...making all kinds of truck-tractor-car noises.  In my minds eye, I can vision them being in their forties and me begging them, "Drive the little cars on the walls just one more time." 

So, for right now, I am learning how to bask in the craziness.  I am enjoying the insanity of raising boys in its entirity.  I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

 

Struggles

Sometimes everyday feels like a struggle.  Struggle with kids to take showers...with dogs who insist on digging everything up...struggle with getting lids to seal while canning...struggle with my husband who does things he probably shouldn't...with myself to be not-so-crabby and to be a good Christian wife. 

I know that I am constantly being tested to prove myself.  How am I going to handle my two boys when they are being disobedient or disrespectful?  Have I let their slight of tongue go too far?  Did the words that rolled off of my own tongue hurt those that I love?  Was I too quick to judge?

Parenting is my biggest struggle lately. 

Maybe it is because my kids are changing and so I need to adapt my parenting skills (or lack there of) to them.  Maybe it is because the summer is coming to a swift end and returning to school is right around the corner. 

Or maybe it is because life changes too quickly for us to adapt to it. 

Sometimes I squeeze my eyes shut and wish for my boys to be little---er again.  Like, cuddly stage littler.  I feel my heart long for that.  Ten years ago I would never have thought that would be something that I miss so terribly...an emptiness that I have nothing to fill it with.

But then "it" happened today.  This afternoon I spent a couple of hours at a friends house...doing facials of all things.  When we were done having much needed girly time (I wish I would have brought my camera) I returned to my mom's house to pick up my boys.

I totally vegged out on mom's amazingly comfy couch.  Her house always relaxes me to the point where I could sleep sitting up.  Anyway...I was vegged on the couch and then I felt it...my little guy curled up next to me.  You know, in the crook of my arm.  A few seconds later, big brother gently curled up by my legs.  I know that it sounds crazy, but those few minutes of cuddle time were what I needed.  That quiet time with just me and my boys.  No fighting to break up, no phone calls to interrupt, no noise of the television.  Just us.  It was priceless.

Another Day

This morning I woke up to this.... a familiar companion that crawls into bed with me as soon as Aaron leaves.

I detached myself from the bed and headed downstairs to have my daily cup of coffee (or four) when I glanced out the window and saw this...

Another hole to fill in.

Yep.  That's our dog digging to China---again.  The black specks on the photo, well, that is dirt flying.  This is a hole she insists on digging every. single. day.


The plan for the day:  apples.  My sister-in-law's beautiful summer apples were ripe for the picking.

Picking the apples out of trees and then processing them into either apple sauce, or whatever treats we want at the time, is an all day event.  We start bright and early in the morning and work until midnight---or later.  This year, I sent Noah to do the pickin' as I have been bogged down by a summer cold.  So, I cannot take the credit for that.  But, the eleven hours of processing and preserving work after the apple pickin' was a joint effort on all of our parts.  Mmmm...our home smelled like fall.

During our apple day, two moms (my sister-in-law's name is Amanda too) managed four little boys and three extra large tubs of apples. 

We had lots of "little helpers" (too much help at times.)  I found half eaten apples everywhere in our house!

During, that time we had one boy go to swimming lessons, one boy go to a summer reading program, and one boy go to ER for staples in his head (that would be Abram... it's a long story that involves him being told not to horse around on the couch...not listening...and then consequently getting his scalp put back together.)  Otherwise, it probably would not have taken so long.

Anyway, at least Amanda and I have wonderful BEAUTIFUL applesauce until next season.  Really, it just feels like another day.

Cousins, Friends, and Family

We have had a busy long weekend with family and friends.  Cousins spending the night, two trips to our favorite pool, riding on miles and miles of bike trails, and just keeping up in everyday life.

There were strawberries that needed pickin'...

Pickin' berries turned out to be something that our nieces Alivia and Lily loved taking part in.

Abram ate as many as he picked.  They were delicious!

We took a trip to the pool with the blonde and brunette.  Even though we were stormed out, we still had a blast.

My family is always rolling their eyes at me taking photos.  I take my camera everywhere, fearful that I am going to miss capturing a life defining moment.  But, I am glad that the blonde and brunette are just as obsessed...if not even more obsessed...as I am.

Alivia and Lily absolutely loved the pool.  So, when I suggested that we go to our local "splash park"---I was out voted by the kids.  We ended up going to the pool two days in a row---which doesn't usually happen because it is kind of expensive and a half hour away. 

I am insanely jealous of Carsen's eye lashes!  Move over Aaron---I have another boy in my life---I absolutely love Carsen!

Letting Noah swim in the big/deep pool, by himself, with out me watching him like a hawk, waiting to pull him out of the water at any little motion of distress, was a big task for me.  It helped ease my mind that the other brunette swam with him and told me he did fine.  It is just so hard to let the nervousness go and give him freedom.

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The rest of our weekend was spent doing Aaron's favorite hobby...biking.

Sunday we I completely overslept and missed our 0900 church service.  There was no way we would have made it.  So our morning was busy with our weekly outdoor chores---mowing the lawn...weeding the garden...weeding the sweet corn...picking more strawberries...and so on.

Sunday afternoon we ventured to a neighboring city to ride on their beautiful bike trails.  And who, of all of the people on this planet do we meet on the trails?  Take a guess...  We saw our pastor and his family...right after skipping church. 

I felt so shameful for missing church and then to be found by our pastor gallivanting around on the bike trails... Oh the guilt!  I think that the Man Upstairs was trying to tell us something.  But, our pastor is a kind and gentle person and did not even mention our absence in church----which almost made me feel more guilt and shame.  I wish he would have chided me or publicly humiliated me or thru rocks at me.  Nope, he made peaceful small talk between his family and ours.  Between Aaron and the pastor----a future bike trip is in the making.

Abram did not want to go on the bike ride.  I can't say that I blame him... riding for miles upon miles in 90 degree weather...doesn't sound like much fun to me either!

And if riding for many miles on the trails was not enough, when we got home guess what we did... we went for another bike ride.  It was a beautiful evening so the boys wanted to take advantage of it.

On the way back, I was determined to leave the boys in the dust.  I was not going to get beat...again...by a bunch of boys.  So, I burned rubber and left them in the dust---or so I thought (I also wanted to quickly get my camera and take their photo riding on the road.) 

I raced home, parked my bike in the gravel and ran with jelly legs up the steps and in the house.  I whipped out my camera, ran down the stairs and outside (still with jelly legs) and up our driveway to take their photo. 

In the photo below, you can see what I saw.  They are the speck on the road.  Noah's chain fell off his bike.  So, my one and only win was not even fair.

Noah evading another photo op.

Oh, well.  It was still an awesome day!